This application claims the benefit of and priority to Japanese Patent Applications 2000-363448 (filed Nov. 29, 2000), 2000-363406 (filed Nov. 29, 2000) and 2000-363457 (filed Nov. 29, 2000).
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a radiator core support structure of a motor vehicle, which is mounted to a front portion of the vehicle body to support a radiator and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, various types of radiator core support structures or motor vehicles have been proposed and put into practical use. Usually, the radiator core support structures have a basic structure which comprises radiator core support upper and lower members (which will be referred to as xe2x80x9cupper and lower elongate membersxe2x80x9d for ease of description) which extend laterally with respect to a vehicle body and a hood lock stay member which extends vertically between intermediate portions of the upper and lower elongate members. These three members of the basic structure are made of metal and welded to one another to constitute a constructional base of the radiator core support structure. However, welding the hood lock stay member to both the upper and lower elongate members tends to induce deformation and/or distortion of the product (viz., radiator core support structure) due to the very high heat used for the welding. As is known, if the radiator core support structure produced has a poor dimensional stability due to such deformation and/or distortion, mounting the support structure to a vehicle body needs a difficult or at least time-consumed mounting work.
In order to solve the above-mentioned drawback, various measures have been also proposed. One of them is to produce a part or parts of the radiator core support structure by molded plastics. The support structure of this type is called xe2x80x9chybrid typexe2x80x9d. Due to the nature of plastics used therein, this hybrid type radiator core support structure is able to exhibit a satisfied dimensional stability. That is, due to usage of the plastic parts through which metal parts are connected, deformation and/or distortion of the support structure is minimized.
However, usage of such plastic parts brings about such a new drawback that the radiator core support structure of the hybrid type fails to have a satisfied mechanical strength. As is known, the radiator core support structure has an upper portion to which a hood lock device for an engine hood is mounted. Thus, when the core support structure is constructed to have a poor mechanical strength, it can not bear a marked shock that is produced when the engine hood is strongly pivoted down to assume a closed position. This drawback becomes much severe when an associated motor vehicle is subjected to a vehicle is collision, particularly, a head-on collision. That is, upon such vehicle collision, the locked engagement between the hood lock device and the hood is easily broken due to the insufficient mechanical strength of the radiator core support structure.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a radiator core support structure of a motor vehicle, which is free of the above-mentioned drawbacks.
According to the present invention, there is provided a radiator core support structure which has a satisfied mechanical strength even though it is of a hybrid type.
According to the present invention, there is further provided a radiator core support structure which comprises upper and lower elongate members of metal, a hood lock stay portion of molded plastic extending between intermediate portions of the upper and lower elongate members, and a grip portion defined by a lower end of the hood lock stay portion, the grip portion tightly gripping the intermediate portion of the lower elongate member.
According to the present invention, there is further provided a radiator core support structure of a hybrid type, which has a bracket arrangement through which a radiator is reliably held by the radiator core support structure.
According to the present invention, there is still further provided a radiator core support structure of a hybrid type, which has a tube holder arrangement by which an oil tube extending from a power steering unit is reliably held.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a radiator core support structure which comprises an upper elongate member; a lower elongate member made of metal; and a hood lock stay portion made of integrally molded plastic, the hood lock stay portion having an upper end integrally connected to the upper elongate member and a lower end that is integrally connected to and shaped to grip an intermediate portion of the lower elongate member, the connection between the hood lock stay portion and the lower elongate member being integrally carried out by injection molding.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a radiator core support structure which comprises an upper elongate member made of metal; a hood lock mounting member made of metal, the hood lock mounting member being welded to an intermediate portion of the upper elongate member; a lower elongate member made of metal; two side members made of metal, the side members being welded to laterally opposed ends of the lower elongate member; a hood lock stay portion made of a molded plastic, the hood lock stay portion having an upper end integrally connected to the hood lock mounting member and a lower end integrally connected to an intermediate portion of the lower elongate member; two pillar portions made of molded plastic, each pillar portion extending between laterally outside portions of the upper and lower elongate members; an upper reinforcing structure made of molded plastic, the upper reinforcing structure extending in a channel defined in the upper elongate member and integrally connected with the upper end of the hood lock stay portion as well as the upper ends of the two pillar portions; and a lower reinforcing structure made of molded plastic, the lower reinforcing structure extending in a channel defined in the lower elongate member and integrally connected with the lower end of the hood lock stay portion as well as the lower ends of the two pillar portions wherein the lower end of said hood lock stay portion is shaped to grip the intermediate portion of the lower elongate member.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a radiator core support structure which comprises an upper elongate member made of metal; a hood lock mounting member made of metal, the hood lock mounting member being welded to an intermediate portion of the upper elongate member; a lower elongate member made of metal; two side members made of metal, the side members being welded to laterally opposed ends of the lower elongate member; a hood lock stay portion made of a molded plastic, the hood lock stay portion having an upper end integrally connected to the hood lock mounting member and a lower end integrally connected to an intermediate portion of the lower elongate member; two pillar portions made of molded plastic, each pillar portion extending between laterally outside portions of the upper and lower elongate members; an upper reinforcing structure made of molded plastic, the upper reinforcing structure extending in a channel defined in the upper elongate member and integrally connected with the upper end of the hood lock stay portion as well as the upper ends of the two pillar portions; a lower reinforcing structure made of molded plastic, the lower reinforcing structure extending in a channel defined in the lower elongate member and integrally connected with the lower end of the hood lock stay portion as well as the lower ends of the two pillar portions; mutually spaced two lower brackets which are integral with the lower reinforcing structure and exposed to a back side of the lower elongate member; and mutually spaced two upper brackets made of metal, the upper brackets being secured to the upper elongate member and exposed to a back side of the upper elongate member, wherein the lower and upper brackets are arranged to support and hold a radiator.
According to fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a radiator core support structure which comprises an upper elongate member made of metal; a hood lock mounting member made of metal, the hood lock mounting member being welded to an intermediate portion of the upper elongate member; a lower elongate member made of metal; two side members made of metal, the side members being welded to laterally opposed ends of the lower elongate member; a hood lock stay portion made of a molded plastic, the hood lock stay portion having an upper end integrally connected to the hood lock mounting member and a lower end integrally connected to an intermediate portion of the lower elongate member; two pillar portions made of molded plastic, each pillar portion extending between laterally outside portions of the upper and lower elongate members; an upper reinforcing structure made of molded plastic, the upper reinforcing structure extending in a channel defined in the upper elongate member and integrally connected with the upper end of the hood lock stay portion as well as the upper ends of the two pillar portions; a lower reinforcing structure made of molded plastic, the lower reinforcing structure extending in a channel defined in the lower elongate member and integrally connected with the lower end of the hood lock stay portion as well as the lower ends of the two pillar portions; first and second bracket which are integral with the lower reinforcing structure and raised from the lower elongate member, each bracket including two holding pawls by which an oil tube from a power steering unit is detachably held; a third bracket integral with one of the pillar portions, the third bracket including two holding pawls by which the oil tube is detachably held; and a vertically extending groove defined by the pillar portion, the groove steadily receiving therein a part of said oil tube.